Utterberg et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,311 discloses a sliding body or sheath which is carried on a tubular set such as a fistula set for hemodialysis, having a winged needle at the end. There is a significant need to provide the maximum amount of protection to medical personnel against needle sticks, especially with respect to needles that are used in contact with blood. The sliding sheath of the cited patent can be brought forward to enclose the needle as the needle is retracted from the patient, so that the needle is immediately secured against accidental needle sticks by the sliding device. The wings of the needle, which are commonly used in conjunction with a variety of intravenous needles, slide within opposed slots of the needle protector of the cited patent, and are locked in place when the needle is fully withdrawn into the sliding sheath as described.
By this present invention, improvements are provided to the device disclosed in the above-cited patent. Specifically, the device of the prior art is typically placed on a needle set prior to use and the wings engaged in the slots. Even when the sliding sheath is retracted away from the needle as much as possible, medical personnel have found its presence to be inconvenient during the process of venipuncture and taping of the needle wings to the skin of the patient.
Also, by this invention, improvements in functioning are achieved by a modification of the shape of the slots of the sliding sheath or body through which the needle wings penetrate. Particularly, withdrawal of the needle from the patient can be facilitated in an axial movement, reducing the potential for the point to cause a hematoma. Also, advancement of the sheath about the needle is facilitated.
Thus, significantly improved needle protector sheaths are provided, some of which can be applied to a needle and attached tubing after the needle has been inserted into the vein of a patient. Additionally, other improvements over the prior art are found herein.